Takilla Combs on Organization, Burnout, and Building a Business That Actually Works Posted on June 22, 2026June 20, 2026 By Kekeletso Nkele, small.news Assistant (small.news) — On June 3, 2026, Takilla Combs, founder of Xtreme Audacity Organized Solutions LLC, joined our small.talk, to share how structure, systems, and intentional organization can transform the lives and businesses of small business owners. Takilla spoke with Silver Lining Founder and CEO Carissa Reiniger about the real cost of disorganization, why so many owners mistake burnout for hustle, and how simple tools like a calendar audit can be the first step toward reclaiming time, energy, and purpose. Q: What are you seeing that people are responding to or buying right now in the midst of this sort of moment of economic upheaval that we’re all living through? A: One thing I’ve noticed is that my sales are going down because I offered in-person sessions and sold high-ticket items. So my strategy has shifted to helping more people online, virtually, at a lower cost. I’m seeing people move from larger, expensive items to smaller items and more DIY work, with coaching on how to do those things. Some clients who bought ten- to twelve-thousand-dollar packages are still my clients, and now they get coaching to maintain the organization we’ve created. Before, they would pay me to come back and reorganize or do maintenance. Now I’m coaching them on how to maintain it, get buy-in from their family, involve their children, and put routines in place to sustain what we created. Top Stories Silver Lining Launched silv=rAI™ to be More Deeply Human, Small Business First Many AI tools that are “built for small business” are actually designed to replace the owner. Or replace staff. At Silver Lining, we built ours to protect the human in the loop. Jenni Strous Knows What Gets You the Interview and What Loses It Jenni Strous did not plan to become a small business owner. She planned to be an HR Practitioner and was, until retrenchment forced a reckoning. West Africa’s Biggest Small Business Lender Receives €80m to Expand Coris Holding, the pan-African banking group founded by Burkinabe billionaire Idrissa Nassa, has secured an €80 million ($86.7 million) credit line from the West African Development Bank, known by its French acronym BIDC, to expand lending to small and medium-sized enterprises across the region, reports Billionaires Africa. Q: Are you feeling like they’re sort of following the typical human behavior of ‘I need this change in my life, let me buy something to help me get there, but then I haven’t actually done the things I need to do to get the outcome that I want?’ A: Yes, they are still struggling to do things. It’s like pulling teeth to get people into action. We have a call, then two weeks later another call, and we’re still where we were before. Even when I send email or text check-ins asking how it’s going or whether they’ve decluttered the deep freezer, they don’t take action. So we’re no closer to finishing if they don’t follow through. That’s why in-person work is more helpful: I’m literally holding your hand and doing it with you instead of having you say, ‘I’m going to do it’ and then not follow through. Q: What are you seeing in terms of people’s life organization right now? A: We’re kind of willy-nilly with it. We just figure it out in the moment without planning or scheduling. That’s why we can’t keep our laundry together and don’t know what we’re eating tomorrow or even for lunch or dinner today. That creates chaos in our homes, businesses, and lives. Children and families thrive on organization, but one of the biggest issues in most homes is disorganization. I’m not just talking about physical clutter; I mean things like where you put the keys, whether you signed the school papers, or where the sports physical exam is. All of that matters because disorganization affects everything. If we put structure and strategies in place to maintain day-to-day life, we’ll keep up with laundry, know what’s for dinner, have lunch ready to grab and go, and reduce decision fatigue in the morning. There are many layers to creating an organized life, but I ask people to take it one step at a time. Don’t do it all at once. Q: What’s the thing that you think starts to really make a difference if we were all self-structured enough to actually do the thing? A: One thing I did was host a meet, and one of my talks was, ‘The organized CEO starts at home.’ One of the biggest things we talked about was getting your calendar in order through a calendar audit. You gotta do a calendar audit. ‘Have you done a calendar audit? You have it right there. Do it.’ Inside my platform, we call those power moves. That’s one of the first things we work on. To work with me, you have to add me to your calendar. Schedule the time to do the task I’m giving you or the task you want to accomplish. If you want your meals ready and your laundry done weekly, you’ve got to put it in your calendar. So the first thing we do is look at your calendar. Especially if we’re working virtually, we need to get your schedule under control, add things that benefit your life and business, and remove things that may not even be in the calendar but that you’re still doing. We need to move those things out and make room for the things that actually benefit your life and push you toward purpose. Q: What do you see people wasting time on the most? A: Consistent bad behavior includes two things: social media scrolling, which is probably the biggest. I stay off as much as I can, but as a business owner, you have to be on there a little. Then, trying to figure things out instead of being strategic and planning is another issue. Things easy on the front end are hard on the back end. More challenging tasks that take time upfront are easier later. If we invest time and energy in creating a strategy and system to help us on the back end, we’d save time by doing what needs to be done instead of figuring things out. Q: What are the habits that you encourage people to do that you think are really healthy? A: Add to an overall organized life by putting the little things we enjoy into our calendars. Today I’m going to get my nails done. That’s the one thing I do consistently for myself—getting my feet and nails done regularly. It’s in my calendar. If that’s something you enjoy, it’s another reward instead of scrolling on social media. You actually benefit and see results, like my nails look great, which builds confidence. Q: What are you most worried about as a small business owner in the midst of this moment we’re in? A: The biggest thing is that many business owners are running on burnout, and we disguise it as hustle. We say we’re going for the big thing instead of being strategic and putting systems in place that would benefit our business. We’re just running on burnout. I’ve definitely been there. It looks like hustle, and the culture promotes hustle a lot. You get praise for it. But really, you have to be smart and wise with your time, energy, and money to avoid burnout. Q: What do you see as unique opportunities that are sort of emerging in the midst of all this upheaval? A: This uncertainty makes me think about using the technologies, automations, and systems now available, such as AI and other accessible tools. I think we’re underutilizing them. Learning more about these has been a focus for me. I’ve used them to build a website, a funnel, send emails to clients, and plan. I built a system and strategy for my clients to help them move through their power moves, get things done, and plan meals. Q: If you had a Magic Silver Wand, and you could wave it right now, and you could make one thing true for every single small business owner in the world instantly, what would you use it for? A: I would use it to give small business owners the knowledge and resources they need to build a sustainable business and structure it for long-term success. Many small business owners are willy-nilly, figuring it out as they go. We lack knowledge on where to find resources and who can help with certain things. If we had the knowledge and resources to support our business, it would change the game. Q: How do we support you? A: So I am igniting a movement for people like yourself, high-performing entrepreneurs, high-performing individuals. Even some of our stay-at-home moms are high-performing, where we are creating a life of organization and not looking at it as a necessity, I mean, a luxury, but as a necessity, where we can make moves and not be so stressed out, where we can live our lives with much more peace Do you want to shop small? Check out our new buy.small Marketplace! Latest Stories
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